Drab Majesty - _The Demonstration_

I am creating a thread for this album because it is really, really, REALLY good; the main force behind it is the drummer for Marriages and the entire album is a love letter to gothy pop songs.

https://open.spotify.com/album/2OjnZ8zI3lfjaOvi7xXAHP
https://drabmajesty.bandcamp.com/

I'm very, very taken by "Dot in the Sky", "Too Soon to Tell" and "Cold Souls" but really every single song is excellent

I just missed the chance to see them in SF, so of course I'm really enjoying this.

the whole marriages industrial complex is doing amazing work right now

Oh is that his deal? (Re the Marriages connection.) Just thought it was some fellow. It is a nice enough album, certainly.

this really goes back to the core, the heart music

yeah I love this album, so good. no reason anyone who didn't love the cure circa Kiss Me wouldn't love this

it's a concept album about heaven's gate

I mistakenly wrote about this album in the Rolling Synthwave/Retrowave/Outrun 2017 Thread because I thought it was a standard rolling thread about music like this, but I was evidently mistaken.

I think it's quite good, very retro obviously, but a very enjoyable album including the four remixes that came on the CD. And my wife loved it so much I immediately purchased it from PAIS directly.

I love how it sounds like it could have been released in 1984 but still finds a way to make that sound feel fresh, new and contemporary.

I kept thinking late eighties (Clan of) Xymox, but any number of reference points, really.

I have, at various points, thought of Cocteau Twins, New Order, Siouxsie and the Banshees, The Cure, The Bolshoi, The March Violets, The Chameleons, Love and Rockets, Clan of Xymox, Sisters of Mercy, and Psychedelic Furs all mashed together into a blender.

every one of those things is good

It's good to like good things.

(This conversation made me go back to CoX and Medusa seems to be a direct progenitor)

Definitely.

cold souls is best song of 2017

Finally picking up on this. Loving the "Oak Wood" single. Can't wait to dig deeper

this is incredible stuff.

Seeing the band Sunday... Woo.

Nice to see some attention on this. I mentioned it in passing in rolling post-punk, but I've been due to revisit it.

Rolling Post-Punk Thread

Saw DJP mention this on the Underappreciated 2017 Albums thread, and have been listening to it... it's great! Don't hear much Xymox in there though. Maybe shades of Twist of Shadows-era... it's way more Chameleons to my ears. Xymox were always a lot more New Orleans than L.A.

Go back to Medusa; there is a ton of similarity there.

Also I've now become obsessed with "39, By Design"

I was about to say, way more Chameleons? Huh. Definitely early Xymox per DJP's note.

Vocals are really Chameleons-y!

I don't think any band since (even Xymox themselves) have managed to make a record that sounds like Medusa. Sleeps with the Fishes, maybe, but that's cheating.

"Cold Souls", damn.

I love it that the best songs are on the second half of the album.

his last one 'careless' is worth a listen too. here's a collection with that album + bsides: https://drabmajesty.bandcamp.com/album/completely-careless-2012-2015

Interesting to see how my favorite song on this album is shifting every few days. At first it was 'Kissing the Ground', then 'Cold Souls', and this morning I've had 'Behind the Wall' on repeat for a couple of hours.

Just a reminder to everyone compiling best of 2017 lists that this album is out there.

It's my AOTY.

This is a good album that I would describe as cyber-Chameleons

I think the BEST thing about it is the hard-edged electronic production. It sounds extremely modern even though the ingredients are pure 80s

...a very fine combination, I must add

Drab Majesty gave a shout out to this band on instagram recently. I'm kind of obsessed with their album now.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jlplBUsNClg

"A mix of classic 4AD, David Sylvian and early Last Dance. Amazing album!"

"Felt meets Fernand Knopff meets fresh roses."

sold

Just saw them open for Deafheaven a couple of weeks ago and they were ridiculously good, even with technical difficulties and obvious vocal problems. They only played songs off The Demonstration and it super ruled.

They got stopped at the Cdn border :(

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LjBo82hQXFA

song was stuck in my head before it even ended

p sick. hyperrealised 1980s

i mean, lansing-dreiden did the hyperrealised 80s thing already but drab majesty are a) slightly different and b) showing signs of becoming every bit as good

it's irritating how we have to wait until july for the album

In the 80s I saw a zillion struggling local gothy bands and bought their demos, and some of that stuff was super yummy. I can't even remember the names of the bands, none of which made it past the demo stage, but this American take on goth reminds me so much of the freshness of that sound. It's dark and rhythmic and yet breezy at the same time.

lansing-dreiden

i don't really hear a hyperrealised 80s but this fucking rules

https://open.spotify.com/track/3whvDMZeYbkAbAn1QfKiXT?si=802tt6CBRki39OduN_3M-g

I love this band so much

They've been hit or miss until now but, yeah, this new one seems set to be a classic.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=95tGVTN8TcQ

Heard the new album in full and it's easily the best thing they've done -- they have their sound down cold so they finally introduced some real variety on this album within said approach. Both the sequencing and the variations are top notch.

ooh boy

Just downloaded the advance, waiting to listen to with my synth-pop-loving wife.

holy shit lansing-dreiden demands to be listened to

And another video!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k5411duvNeE

A Dialogue needs to go on for 3x as long!

Bump

As a newcomer to this band, what's the consensus on how this (amazing on first listen) record stacks up against their previous work?

By "this record" do you mean The Demonstration or the new one, Modern Mirror? Personally I think all of their stuff is great but The Demonstration is still my favorite.

Dot In The Sky is one of the best 80s revival moments full stop

This album is growing on me, but I prefer the mood of The Demonstration. I'm going to see them when they come to town. If youtube clips are any indication, they'll sound good live.

I, too, am in the new-one-is-good-but-Demonstration-was-better camp.

They sound great live. I saw them open for Deafheaven (spoiler: they were way better) and even with obvious vocal issues, they sounded fantastic.

yes they are excellent live and for whatever reason they've come through town about 6 times in the last 2 years. hope they don't burn out

The Other Side and Long Division from Modern Mirror are as good as Dot in the Sky and Cold Souls from The Demonstration, looking forward to seeing them live!

ok I'm 30 seconds into last year's VR SEX album (fronted by Deb Demure) and um wow

think this might be my favourite DM-related album

But of course:

https://drabmajesty.bandcamp.com/track/no-rain

Welp

Damn. @DrabMajesty just said f*ck it huh 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂. YOU GUYS ARE GREAT!!! Dont delete good tweets like these!! The world needs to know how you feel!!! 🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤙🤙🤙🤙🤙🤙🤙🤝🤝🤝🤝🤝🤝🤝🤝🤝🤝🤝🤝🤝🤝🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰 #lameasses pic.twitter.com/E3paf4OHXq

— Bootleg_Jnut (@JNUT123) August 9, 2020

Drab Majesty twitter a surprising firehose of dad jokes

Jesus Christ why

TACO BELL AND SEBASTIAN made me lol

I think it's more making a racist joke then following it up with a name check of a prominent fascist that people are wondering about than the "dad joke" thing

puppy joke is not cool, but wgaf about that Boyd Rice joke outside of it being corny.

I think M@tt explained pretty succinctly why the Boyd Rice joke in the shared context of the puppy joke would raise eyebrows.

he did the I'm not a racist apology tweet already I guess

pic.twitter.com/55QB7mLPKA

— DRAB MAJESTY (@DrabMajesty) August 10, 2020

You cover Blind Melon it's a slippery slope.

he should apologize, yes.

for the racist stuff, not the blind melon cover

the new VR SEX is sounding sooooo good omg

aoty. this is not a drill

https://vrsex.bandcamp.com/album/rough-dimension

yeah this sounds sick

my first impression is that i enjoyed the EPs more. He really nails the atmosphere, though. As grimy as the sound is, I think it’s perfectly produced.

Still my aotysf, and Live In A Dream is sotysf too. Absolutely supreme songcraft and sound design. 80s synthpop, sure, but hyperrealised to the heights of compulsion

Via Bandcamp a couple of hours ago:

You've wondered if there is new music coming. The answer is YES..And soon. You will know more soon.

Lack of ILM interest in VR SEX absolutely baffling and saddening tbh

For posterity's sake: I saw them late last year and they're the best live band I've seen in maybe 5 years, maybe longer

I tried it like twice and it just didn't click. But my interest in Drab Majesty boils down to "this is well-done goth comfort food".

increasingly convinced clinco is one of the great songwriters of our time

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mt2Btw4qrQo

spoiling us

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5lVfNtsx1y8

lovely little (ok not little) ep it is too

https://vrsex.bandcamp.com/track/inanimate-love

this album is going to be absolutely incredible again isn't it

feel a bit sad that this thread has been just me on every bump recently

first single was amazing too https://vrsex.bandcamp.com/track/real-doll-time

Digging the VR Sex. Has some Helios Creed psych-noise-skronk on the guitars which I am always a sucker for!

Oh it's so great again. Inanimate Love and Runway Runaway are absolutely murderous.

I listened to Half Machine Lip Moves for the first time last week in preparation :) is good obv yeah

I don't know, I've been into everything up until now but it feels like this new album is just more of the same vibe.

I'd say the subtle difference is that it was written as a five-piece. A few of the songs took a few listens to grow on me! The closing track or two are a bit weak, but the rest goes hard I'd say - not quite Rough Dimension but not far off